A couple were rescued from their sinking yacht after it smashed into a Second World War wreck in stormy weather.

The Ympuls, a Dutch owned 11-metre sailing yacht, hit the wreck a quarter of a mile off Eastbourne Harbour early today.

The boat began taking on water and the Dutch couple on board sent a distress signal.

A fishing boat rescued the couple and a lifeboat tried in vain to pump water out of the holed vessel.

Allert Wiersema, 58, and his wife Margo, 55 - both experienced sailors - said they were relieved to get off the yacht safely.

Mr Wiersama said: "In a way we are shocked, but on the other hand we are very happy we are okay and the rescue went very quickly.

"We will stay here the rest of the day. There is a possibility we can get something from the wreck later today at low tide and we will return to Holland tomorrow."

During the rescue the skipper of the fishing vessel Voyager, Jo Watts, helped the husband and wife on to his boat and attached a line to try to keep the yacht afloat.

A six-man lifeboat crew from Eastbourne arrived and two members boarded the stricken yacht with a salvage pump. They were unable to save it.

Second coxswain Mark Sawyer, who was in charge of the lifeboat, said: "They are very experienced sailors. It was the weather - the sea conditions pushed them off course.

"It was also low water which makes it worse in the shallows."

In August 1999 the Dutch boat Eendrach ran aground off Newhaven.

Mr and Mrs Wiersama knew people who were aboard the schooner and, eerily, Mrs Wiersama was wearing a hat bearing the boat's name when the Ympuls sank.